Unknown
by OEmeraldZ
Summary: Bella and Edward are reunited under risky circumstances.  Together, they face the evils of one very dangerous Vampire.  Will Bella be changed once and for all?
1. Chapter 1

EPILOGUE

Edward. The only thing that came into my mind today was Edward. Edward was the only thing that came into my mind everyday, and it drove me insane. I paced through the kitchen, up the stairs of my home in Forks, and into my room. I sped over to the computer, checked my e-mail, and maneuvered myself back down the stairs. Life like this was getting old. But this was the only life I knew as long as Edward was gone. Without Edward, well, let's just say I'm no longer Bella. Bella was complete when Edward was here. Now he is gone, and I am merely a body with a mind that only works if it is consumed by thoughts of Edward Anthony Mason Cullen. Edward. The rush of pain came stronger this time, and I ran back upstairs and into the bathroom. Frantically, I opened up the sliding glass doors of the shower, stripped, and jumped in. Turning the faucet all the way to cold, I stood. Letting the icy cool daggers of H2O pierce through my skin, I vomited. Edward. Edward. Edward. This was the last of my thoughts before turning of the water and getting out of the shower. There I lay, on the cool tile floor of my bathroom. It was as though nothing could ease the burn. Nothing would cool down my heart. For every time I thought of the name, I was on fire. Oh please, let this stop. Let it come to and end. If this pain didn't stop, I was sure that my life WOULD.

Chapter 1

I woke up the next morning to the sound of rain pounding on the roof. This was nothing new to me, seeing as how Forks, Washington was known for its rainy days. Making my way to the bathroom, I yawned, and shivered. Everything in my world was so cold now. Quickly I finished up my shower, dried my hair, dressed, and applied a small amount of make-up. I didn't see the point in trying to look good anymore. There was only one person in the world that would make me want to look good. But right then, I could not think of the name. Looks did not matter to me anymore. I was not looking for another boy. I had found the one I wanted, except the scary thing was, he didn't want me. Pushing these awful thoughts from my mind, I walked down my stairs, took a deep breath, and entered the world of my father, Charlie.

"Good morning, Bells", he welcomed.

"Morning, Charlie. What would you like for breakfast?" Charlie was not much of a cook and I felt that it was my responsibility to make sure he got the proper nutrition he needed. His idea of McDonald's for breakfast every morning was not exactly healthy. Seeing as how I had only been living with my father for a little over a year, I had quickly adapted to a life like this.

"Bells, you know that no matter what you make, I'll love it." At least I wasn't getting a request for some sort of difficult dish this morning. Finally deciding on traditional scrambled eggs, I took out a pan and lit the burner on our old stove.

"So, what's on your agenda for today after school?" Charlie questioned me. I hated this part of my morning. Everyday since the disappearance of (name I could not mention) Charlie would ask me what my plans were. Unfortunately, I never had any, but I liked it that way. I guess you could say that I liked to keep myself busy independently. I would study a little too much; I'd clean every room in the house twice, and maybe even work back-to-back double shifts at the camping store that employed me this past summer. What Charlie didn't like about this, was that I was not associating with people. He knew very well that I was upset about this boy, but he did not understand my mental hang-up with not getting over it. It had been months since he left me, and yet, I was not able to let go. Scooping up a fork-full of eggs, I quickly optioned my answers.

"Well, I figured I'd come home, study, do some homework, and maybe clean up around the house. Maybe cut the grass or something like that. Is there anything you need me to do?" That was safe – I was offering to help Charlie. Being the chief of police here in Forks, he never had much time to do anything productive around the house.

"Bells, I just want to see you smile and truly mean it… I haven't seen you smile in months. You're putting on this act and I want it to end. Edward Cullen is an ass. He left you alone, with no contact since, and never even gave a care about your feelings. Isabella Swan, you better start getting over this, or I'm going to have to send you back to your mother."

I froze there at the table, not knowing what to say next. The way he spoke about Edwa… The way he spoke about THAT BOY infuriated me. Through a rush of pain, I stood up, not even thinking about the dirty dishes from my un-eaten breakfast, and stormed out of the house. Charlie was not worth my time this morning. He knew he had touched a nerve and I did not want to go back into that house if it was the last thing I'd do. Because it was raining so heavily, I decided that my best bet was to drive to school. So what if I got there early; anything was better than Charlie's house right now.

Arriving at Forks High School, I parked my truck and started on the journey in. I waved to everyone as I passed them, doing my best to look happy. Mike, an old friend of mine, stopped me when I entered the main half of the building.

"Bella, you look wonderful this morning" Mike complimented. I did everything in my power to look friendly. Was he insane? I didn't give two shits about my appearance this morning. I think I was wearing sweats, and had my hair tied up and was wearing maybe an ounce of make-up.

"Thanks bud", I answered, "But I really don't look that fabulous".

"Oh Bella, come on, take a compliment and smile for once."

This was becoming ridiculous. If one more person told me to smile…

It was the beginning of my senior year in High School and I was miserable. I could not go on like this, but as long as Edward was not here, I had to. I could tell it was the beginning of a nightmare.

Chapter 2

After work that night, I arrived home to an empty house. There was a note left on the front door from Charlie. There had been an emergency down at the station and they needed his help. Well, that was fine by me. I was still furious with Charlie because of what he had done this morning. I dropped my bags by the stairs and sat down on the couch in front of the TV. In an instant, I felt something cold on my shoulder. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I snapped my head backwards and looked into the face of an angel.

Grave and cold, the eyes of this angel stared me down and I froze instantly in fear. This was definitely the face of an angel, but not the angel that I wanted to see. It was the face of a vampire; but one I did not know. For you see, Edward and the rest of the Cullen family were vampires. They did not prey on people, but there were others in the world that did. This particular angel that was in my home right now was the perfect example of one. Grasping down hard on my arm, he lifted me up and dragged me out the front door. Placing me on his back in haste, he ran. Unconsciously I could feel my head turning numb. I tried to recognize the face of my kidnapper, but he was moving too fast. Paralyzed with fear, I shut my eyes and tried to imagine what on earth was going on. The last thing I remember seeing of that journey was a blur of color. The next thing I saw was the inside of a room, much like the inside of a regular house.

I turned my head and realized that I was lying sideways on a bed. The comforter was red and there was a burgundy canopy above my head. Quickly I moved, and to my left, the monster that kidnapped my put up a finger to his lips to silence me. Instantly I turned to my other side and saw … would you believe it, Edward. This was not the Edward that I remembered, for this Edward looked harsh and angry. When my eyes locked with his, the expression on his cherubic face lightened and he made a gesture to silence me as well.

What on earth was this? To my right I heard voices, and noticed that they were coming from the opposite side of a door. My kidnapper stood up and left, keeping the same finger on his lips to keep me quiet. As soon as he left, I ran to Edward. He pushed me away with force, and I fell, slamming my elbow down hard on the tile floor. I looked up and Edward looked back at me and once again locked his eyes with mine. He turned away and left the room as well. Everything went black. What was going on? My heart began to race and I was falling, falling, falling.

"Bella!" Charlie's voice came through me like a needle.

It was only a dream. But what a dream it was – Edward, another vampire? Did this mean something?

"I'm in the living room Charlie" I yelled back.

Charlie came in, looking exhausted. I explained to him that I was tired as well and needed sleep. We said our good nights, and I did my best to walk calmly up the stairs. As soon as I hit the top, I ran into the bathroom and hit the floor, sobbing. Seeing Edward had taken its toll on me. It hit through my mind, my body, and my soul. I could not handle it. Again I vomited. Uncontrollably this time. Over and over and over again until I passed out. Thankfully Charlie had decided not to come upstairs in the interim of my passing out, and then regaining consciousness. I moved to my side and realized that I had a mind-splitting headache. Too much; this was just too much to handle. I couldn't move. Again I was paralyzed but pain. But this was a different kind. The kind that is incessant and causes bleeding where there is no blood. Collapsing once more, I lay, sobbing on the bathroom floor.

The sun was shining brightly the next day. Once again, it was unusual in Forks to see the sun shine. It reminded me of my home, back in Phoenix. Though I missed it, and my mother, Forks was where I needed to stay. Forks is where Edward was, and Phoenix was not vampire-esque territory. You see, Vampires are not supposed to come out in the sun. Their skin glows and crystallizes at the contact of the rays of the sun. There was a time when Edward showed me his appearance in the sunlight. It was amazing. He looked more beautiful than ever – with the crystal structure in his skin, reflecting light like a rainbow. In any event, I needed to get ready for school. It was Friday. Ugh, I hated Fridays. Friday meant that there were two whole days coming in which I had to find something to do to occupy my time. This weekend I wasn't sure about my plans. I wasn't scheduled to work on Saturday, so I needed to make something up to tell Charlie. Oh, no. Charlie. Another wonderful breakfast discussion was coming its way again. I could feel it. The routine continued. Shower, dress, teeth, make-up were part of this routine. Of course, the make-up was only a small amount again. Nothing too drastic, for fear of a break-down during school. I didn't want black lines running down my face for the whole day. School was hard enough right now; I didn't need to look like a raccoon while I was there. I was lazy that morning. It took me forever to get ready, and most likely because of my fear of a conversation with Charlie. Deep down inside me, I knew that it would hurt again if Charlie talked about Edward. I couldn't have that. I couldn't take it again. Not another day full of misery, please.

Thankfully, when I got downstairs, there was another note from Charlie on the kitchen table. Some kind of emergency happened early this morning and he needed to go down to the station. I looked up to the ceiling and thanked God for sending Charlie away. Hopefully, this meant that my day was off to a great start. Or so, I assumed. Forks High School, Isabella Swan was happy that day.

Chapter 3

I parked my truck in the usual spot, and smoothly hopped down from the seat. Feeling overly self-confident, I said hello to about twenty different people on my way into the school. Some seemed surprised that I was talking again, and others were rude, as usual. But that didn't matter to me this morning. The sun was still shining, and I did not have to think about Edward. I made it through each class that day with a strong go-to-it attitude and kept myself moving forward. Gym, the worst class in the history of my life, managed to play nice with me today. Nothing bad happened, and I marched to my truck with a smile on my face.

When I opened the driver-side door of the truck, I noticed a small piece of paper, wrapped around the middle with a red ribbon. Cautiously, I picked up the paper, wondering who it came from. The strangest thing was that my car had been locked all day. Someone had broken into my car. I unfolded the paper and looked down at a map of sorts. The top of the map read "Believe" and there were only two colors. Most of the map was drawn with great detail in black ink. There was one small portion of the map, almost hidden through the maze of black that was red. This red section was titled "Unknown". The very idea of this map confused me. Why would I need a map? When I began to re-fold the paper, I noticed something was attached to the back of it. Flipping it over in my hands I peered on the opposite side. My mind lit on fire, and my heart jumped down into my stomach. For a second I felt like vomiting, until I read what the paper said. It was a photograph of Edward. He looked beautiful, and once again, his appearance stunned me. But what frightened me, was the text that was printed in silver across the bottom of the photograph.

_His second life is in your hands, Isabella Swan._ These words flashed through my brain and hit like a rock. What was this? What kind of cruel trick was someone playing on me? Edward was gone. He was off to live his life happily in a place where I could not bother him. He didn't want distractions such as me, and I certainly could not figure out where he was exactly. But this picture, this note. What was I supposed to do? I turned the paper over again so that the map was face-up. Examining it a little more closely this time, I noticed that the part detailed in red, had a small star in the center. "Unknown". I wasn't sure how to comprehend this, but something inside of me told me that this "Unknown" town was where Edward was now living. But what did it mean, the part about his life being in my hands? I was not going to be held responsible for anyone's life. I couldn't even keep myself out of trouble. But if it meant saving my Edward and seeing him again, it was worth it. The trouble was, I had no idea what I was looking for, what the danger was, or why I was going to do this.

The funny thing about love is that no matter what comes your way, you're ready to fight it. I loved Edward, and I was ready to be spiteful and go out searching for him, when very possibly, it may be a trap. There was no time to think though. The very possibility of seeing Edward again was throwing my heart ahead of my mind. I couldn't control it - I was acting purely on emotion. This may not have been the best thing to do, but it was the only thing that I could focus on. Without common sense, I drove home, and ran upstairs into my room with the map. I sat down, and examined it from top to bottom. The directions were written out clearly. They led me directly from my street in Forks, to Unknown. Though I was a bit challenged when it came to directions, I felt unstoppable, and again got into my car and started driving. Paying close attention to the map, I ventured out. It was foolish to leave on a whim like that. But my heart kept saying Edward, Edward, Edward. I could not escape this feeling. Oh, to be in his arms again! What would Charlie think when he came home and I was not there? What would happen if this was a trap and I was killed and never came home? I pushed the thoughts out of my mind. I told myself that everything would be ok once I saw Edward again.

Chapter 4

The journey was taking forever. I began to feel cold, and rolled my windows shut. I had been driving for over three hours, and I was only halfway across the map to Unknown. There area around me was a dense wood with trees taller than any I had ever seen. There were ponds, and animals, and so many delicate things around me. It was like I was in a fairytale. And I would be, as soon as I found Edward and figured out what was going on.

Two hours later, I was almost done with my journey. I just needed to make two more turns, and I would be in the capital of Unknown. There were signs of human civilization showing up now. A few drug stores, movie rental shops, and houses were popping up around me. The strangest thing about this town was the people. Like the Cullen family, they were all beautiful, and I began to get the feeling that Unknown was a Vampire society. Yes, that's exactly what it was. Funny though – you'd expect these Vampires to try and hunt me, the human. I watched as I was driving, and they kept on with their business. They seemed to lead average lives, and I wasn't in any hurry to upset the peace. Soon enough, I reached my destination. The Municipal Building of Unknown. I assumed that this was where I needed to be, and that my savior was inside. Parking the truck, I hopped down and hoped that Edward was here, and I hoped that this was not an insane trick being played on me.


	2. Chapter 2

The inside of the Municipal Building was entirely made of marble. The ceiling, the walls, the floor, everything was beautiful. As soon as I walked through the entrance, I could feel that Edward was here. I knew I had come to the right place. The key now was going to be trying to find out what the hell I was supposed to be doing. Sitting across from me, at a marble desk, was a woman. She looked to be about twenty-something. She has waist-length black hair, and stunning features that would make any girl fear of losing self-esteem. Clearly, this woman was a vampire. I made my way up to the desk to see if I could get any information. As I made my way towards her, I saw her lift up her head and her tiny little nose took two sniffs of the air, and her eyes darted to me. A small grin lifted across the corners of her mouth and she waved at me to move faster.

"Isabella Swan, correct?" she implied.

"Yes, that would be correct. Would you mind telling me if I am expected here?" The way she knew my name had intimidated me. I was not sure if she just had an extra sense that allowed her to read minds, like Edward, an extra sense allowing her to see into the future, like Edward's sister, Alice, or if she was just expecting me.

"Mr. Cullen has been expecting your presence all day, Ms. Swan. Please have a seat, and we'll call you when he's ready."

Mr. Cullen. Flip-Flop went my heart. I took a deep breath and sat in the waiting area. What did she mean by 'Mr. Cullen'? Was she referring to Edward, or Edward's father? I assumed it was Edward, seeing as how his father, Carlisle, was a doctor; therefore he should be referred to as 'Dr. Cullen.' My wish had finally come true though. I was going to be reunited with Edward. Stupidly, I felt scared. I was afraid of his reaction. Would he be kind? Would he be mad, angry, upset, worried? These thoughts crossed my mind for about another two minutes, until I heard my name called out by a woman standing in a doorway to my left. I looked up, and was amazed by her beauty. It's so hard to get used to – the vampire appearance. Stunning, actually. I assumed that was how they received their human prey. Any girl would be out of her mind if she did not drool over someone like Edward. In any event, I followed this woman through a corridor and finally arrived at the end. As she opened up the door of one of the rooms, my heart stopped. There was my Edward, sitting down calmly in a chair next to an open window. When he saw me, our eyes locked and his expression turned to mush. He jumped up like a kid in an amusement park and hurried over to me. Grabbing me with all his strength, he lifted me up and spun me around in a series of circles. Oh to be in Edward's arms again! At the feel of his touch I began crying. I sobbed, and when I looked down, I saw Edward's eyes holding onto mine. We stayed like that for a while. To me, it seemed like an eternity.

"Bella, I'm so sorry. There's been an emergency and I needed to talk to you. I realized once I left that it was ridiculous and stupid of me to leave you alone without me. I cannot go on without you, Bella, please forgive me."

Through my tears, I managed to say an "I'm sorry, too" before collapsing into his arms once more. He leaned down and kissed me; with the passion of a thousand years of waiting. It had been about three minutes when we relaxed. I looked around the room and noticed that we were alone. The room that we were in contained one solitary window, and in an instant, I realized where we were.

"Edward, are you in jail?!" I asked him, stunned.

"Well, Bella, like I said, there's been an emergency. It's a long story, but Alice is in trouble. She decided to go looking for you, and well, someone found out that she was looking for a human. In this town, none of us are human-hunters. We only prey on animals. When they heard that Alice was looking for a human, they assumed she was trying to kill you. Before they were about to destroy her, I came to her defense. Basically, Alice got away, and I was put in here. In this disgusting, horrible, hell-hole."

Edward looked down and once again his eyes locked with mine. "But Bella, you have no idea how much I've missed you. That's why Alice went looking. She wanted to see me happy again. She told me that she sensed your unhappiness, as well."

"Well, your absence hasn't exactly been fun. I haven't done anything but mope around. I missed you, Edward", I moaned through tears. "Please, please don't EVER leave me again. It's scary. It's so, so scary. I was so scared. So afraid of living."

"Bella, I promise. No more. I thought this would be best but clearly our love is too strong to be broken."

Edward held me for a while, and we sat in silence. It was like being in Heaven. Heaven was wherever Edward was. This love was something I could never even describe. I was totally overcome with so many different emotions at once. Happiness, sadness, anger, bitterness – but most importantly, safety. I had not felt safe once since Edward had left. I missed it, and I missed him more than my life.

"Bells, I have something for you," said Edward. He placed me down on the bench and walked over to a small bag that was placed on the other side of his "jail cell". Reaching into the bag, he pulled out a small CD walkman and a small silver CD. Edward approached me again and sat down, pulling me into his lap. Gently, he placed the CD into the player and held the earphones against both of our ears. I rested my head again his and waited. As soon as the music started playing, I began to cry. This was Edward's music. His compositions. He wrote this lullaby for me.

"Edward, what's this for?" I said, beginning to sound a little bit nasally from all of this crying.

"Bella Baby, It's your birthday. Don't you remember? You're eighteen today."

I shuddered. Through all of this Edward confusion, I had forgotten what today was. I was eighteen. And I did not want to be eighteen. Turning eighteen meant aging when Edward couldn't. What I wanted was to be turned into a Vampire so I could live eternally with Edward through time; never aging, just like he wouldn't. The problem was, Edward did not want to turn me into a Vampire. He did not want to doom me into an eternal life. I told him it was what I wanted, but he did not approve.

"Edward, this is beautiful. So very beautiful, thank you. I couldn't have asked for anything more. This means so, so much to me. Thank you."

"I love you, Bella. Thank you for giving me someone to share my music with. Happy Birthday, honey. I will never leave your side again. Don't be afraid. I'm right here, and that's where I'm staying."

I rested my head back down against Edward's chest and listened to the music. For the remainder of the night I stayed there, in Edward's arms. We let the lullaby put me to sleep, and Edward stroked my hair so I would know that he wasn't going away. I figured this was good to be true. This was not real. It couldn't be happening. But the only thing in my world that mattered right now, real or not, was that I was with Edward. For this time. I was safe, and I was happy. Edward was here, and the world was right.


	3. Chapter 3

The very next day brought more trouble to my world than there ever has been. After an unforgettable night, I woke up to realize Edward was gone. Before I opened my eyes, I could tell he wasn't there. Edward's presence could always be felt. It was a dream. I knew it. It really WAS too good to be true, of course. Scratching my head, I peeled opened my eyelids in a manner of ultimate depression. The moment my eyes focused on the surrounding area, I let out a squeal. This was definitely not my bedroom. This was definitely not Charlie's house. Quickly I stood, trying to figure out why I was still here. Was it not a dream? Here I was, alone; stranded in Edward's jail cell with no explanation. Had Edward really been with me last night?

Panic arose in my mind. There was nothing around me – just the lonely vacancy of this jail cell. Freakishly, the early rays of sun filtered through the windows, creating an "x" on the tile in front of me. Soon enough, the tiny little hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and I whipped my head around ferociously.

"Why, what do we have here? Does Miss Bella miss her Edward?"

Mind, body, and soul, I weakened. Paralyzed with the utmost paranoia, I couldn't move. Danger was definitely around me. Right now I could not feel safe, for I was staring into the eyes of a hunter. You can tell a hunter when you see one. This particular vampire was no friend of mine. His eyes were a stony black and showed no mercy.

"Who are you?" I stammered.

"Why, Miss Swan, I am your biggest nightmare. You see, when I heard about Alice Cullen's little trip to the human world, I decided it was time to figure out what was going on. The Cullen family has given me many problems over the years, and well, let's just say, I wanted to keep my eye on things."

How was I supposed to answer that? For a while, this hunter did not address me in any way. He simply sat on the bench, looking out the window.

"I beg your pardon sir, but what is your name?"

"Name's are no use to you now, Bella, but if you remember correctly, my name was printed on the photograph you received in your truck this morning. If your memory has decided to deceive you, my name is Vincent."

"You wrote that letter?" My mind was overflowing now. This was the man who expected me to save Edward. But the question was what the problem was.

"Bella, I have never liked Edward Cullen. For every second that I am alive, I wish that Edward was dead. No questions asked, I just want him gone. Simply. I cannot live a focused life as a hunter with people like the Cullens running around. Edward is the worst of the bunch, of course. Always trying to be some kind of hero. Ha, I'd like to see where that's going to get him now."

"What makes Edward so terrible?" The way this man was speaking of Edward was tearing away at my heart."

"Ms. Swan, it was only a few years ago that I was off hunting in a town much like this. The only difference was; there were no Vampires, of course. I wanted the human blood, and that's what I was going to get. Quietly one night, I ventured out into the woods and hoped to find something with a wonderful scent. Ever so fast, like the speed of lightning, I felt a pull toward the opposite direction. Following my instinct, I fled, out of the woods and onto the streets. Dangerously, I creeped and crawled through the neighborhood, the scent growing stronger in the taste. The thirst was completely incredible. Whatever this was; I was going to get it.

Finally, I reached my destination. I little girl was standing only a few feet away. The smell was miraculous and I began planning my attack. As soon as I was about the pounce, Edward Cullen shows up and fights me off. Can you believe it? Trying to avoid a scene we wrestled to a vacant alley, hoping no one had seen. For twenty minutes we fought each other, hoping to tear the strength out of each other.

"'What was that girl to you, huh, Cullen?' I asked him.

"'I don't have to give you any answers, you dirty piece of filth, but I swear on my family that if you EVER come near Isabella Swan again, I will rip you apart and send you to your death.'"

With a blank stare on my face, I turned to Vincent.

"What town were you in, when all this happened?"

"Phoenix. I had always admired it there, and could only come out at night, of course, for the sun is far too strong. And yes, darling Bella, that was you who I had been preying on. Your scent really is magnificent, you know. No wonder Cullen can't keep his rotten little hands off. But thanks to him, I never really got the taste that I wanted. In a matter of hours though, I will. You, darling, will never leave the walls of this cell again."

Shivers ran through me. Up and down my spine, backwards, forwards, everywhere. Edward had lied to me? Edward never said anything to me about being in Phoenix or witnessing my near-death experience. One that I didn't even know about. Had Edward really been there, trying to save me? Is that what this is about? Edward's fight with Vincent? This was way too much information to store in my brain for one time. Taking a step back, I sat down on the floor and placed my head in my hands.

"You just rest now, Bella, and I'll see what I can do about getting Cullen in here to spend your last few moments of life together."

Swiftly, Vincent walked away, leaving me alone and distraught. There was no way this was real. I did not come all this way to find Edward and then have my life taken away. There was no possible way that it had been me that Vincent had wanted all those years ago in Phoenix. I was as sure as anything that Edward would have mentioned something about being in some kind of contact with me before. No, they had made a mistake. Vincent was wrong – he had the wrong man. Edward was not the one who fought him. Edward would never be in a place like Phoenix. Vampires cannot handle the sun. And the Cullen family made very sure that they were never located in a place that glowed so brightly with the light of the sun each day. I would straighten this all out. When Edward came back, I'd tell him, and we'd fix things up with Vincent. If he still wanted to feed off of me, then he'd have to get through Edward first. Edward would not let him kill me. Edward was here now, and he promised me that we'd stay this way. Right now though, the only option seemed very clear to me. In order to save my life and kill Vincent's thirst for my blood, Edward would need to turn me into a Vampire himself.


	4. Chapter 4

Ever so lightly, the evergreen sparks filtered through my mind. God only knew what was going on. Franticly I sobbed, grasping my shoulder with all my strength. I looked down to a heaping puddle of blood that acted as a mirror of my reflection. It was dreadful. I looked sick and drowned and broken. Once more I saw the sparks: Their green color reminding me of vomit. Oh no, vomit. I kneeled over on the tile of my jail cell and it all came spewing out of me. It took a second before I realized that what was coming out was blood. Once again I had to kneel over. Horrific, bloody images ran through my head as I watched the blood pour out of my mouth. Right now I had no idea what was going on or why this was happening. But before I had time to think, I was unconscious. Lying on the floor in a pile of blood. Lying down in a pile of blood and totally alone.

About three hours later, I woke. This time, I could feel a cushion under my head. Someone was staring at me; I could feel it.

"Bells, are you alright?" The frantic voice of an angel questioned me softly.

Edward. My Edward was with me once again. Slowly I tried opening my eyes. The lights in this room were so bright; I immediately had to shut them again.

"Edward, where are we?"

"Bella, we're in a hospital on the other side of this country. I couldn't risk taking you to Unknown. There are officials out everywhere looking for us. When I returned to the cell, I found you there, bleeding. I pulled together all my resources. There was Carlisle, Alice, Jasper … everyone. As a group we sort of moved you over here, and had me escape from prison. A friend of Carlisle's owns this hospital and he's keeping a tight security check. Oh Bella, tell me. What happened to you?"

Instantly I opened my mouth to answer, but then shut it again after I realized that I didn't even know what happened. Piercing my lips together, I wracked my brain for any sliver of remembrance. Finally it came to me. Edward had been missing. Vincent came in to talk to me. Vincent left my cell, and the last thing I could remember was vomiting on the cold tile surface.

"Edward I really don't know. There was a man – a hunter, actually, named Vincent. He was sort of threatening me, and you. Saying we were gonna die. I actually don't really remember much of what happened after that. I just remember the blood and being sick."

Edward thought about this for a moment and then spoke up with a genuinely frightened voice.

"Bella, listen to me. Vincent is not exactly a good person." Oh like that was news to me. "Bella, really … I don't know what he did to you, but honestly, I think he tried to change you."

My ears perked up and I looked deep into Edward's eyes. He must have known what I was thinking.

"Yes, Bella honey, yes. He tried to make you into a monster. He tried to change you into one of my kind. Foolishly he did not complete the job. It's strange actually. It's not like a hunter to ignore the job and take off. Someone must have been looking for him."

There was a sharp knock at the top, and a nurse walked in. She made her way over to my bedside, and it was only then that I noticed the IV I was hooked up to, as well as a bunch of other machines. The nurse took my temperature and recorded something on a sheet of paper.

"Ok, dear if you need any pain medication for that shoulder you just let me know."

After the nurse left, I thought about what she had said. My shoulder? No, what hurt was my neck. From my earlobe all the way down to my collar bone I had a steady, incessant, throbbing pain. What had happened to me?

"Edward, look at my neck. What's wrong with it?"

"You're neck? Oh, well that's where Vincent tried to make his attack, actually. It looks as though he bit too deep and did not enjoy the blast of scent he received once he opened a wound. From the looks of it, he got you pretty bad. What bothers me is that gash on your shoulder."

For the first time, I actually peered over to my left shoulder, where there was a bandage wound tightly around it. There was no pain there unless I tried to move it. There was a very clear explanation about the wound on my neck, but what about the shoulder? I couldn't recall any event that had happened in the last three hours that involved an injury to my shoulder. But hey, once again, I was Isabella Swan, and I always managed to hurt myself. I probably cut it on something when I was throwing up blood back in the jail.

"I think it's fine, Edward. It's really only my neck that's the trouble. But don't worry, I'll be ready to go whenever you are."

"Bella, don't be insane. We're not going anywhere. Even if you were one hundred and fifty percent fine, we'd be staying in this hospital. Do you know what kind of danger we'd be in if we left? Alice has a friend named Martha who has another extra talent, much like my mind-reading abilities. She can make things disappear. Right now, you and I, as well as the rest of this hospital, are invisible. We don't exist to the face of this earth. Right now, we are not even a part of this world. I can't have you running around getting in danger with no protection. And I most definitely cannot leave. I'm supposed to be in prison right now, but I escaped. Bella, please listen to me. It's not a safe world out there right now. Carlisle is looking out for us. As soon as he comes back here and gives us the all-clear, we're stuck.

Resting my head back down against my pillow, I though that pain medication didn't seem like such a bad idea. After explaining this to Edward, he called in a nurse and watched as she loaded my IV tube with the meds. In an instant, I felt the burst of sleep.

Edward bent down and kissed my tenderly on the lips. Right now, my world was ok again. The fear and the confusion disappeared. None of that mattered when Edward was around.

"Goodnight, Bella. I promise – I will not leave this time. I'm right here. Right at your side. Nothing is going to hurt you. I love you baby Bella."

I felt Edward slip under the blanket of my bed and curl up beside me. With my good arm, I found where his face was located, and begin stroking his cheek. The stone cold feeling of his skin made me feel protected. I was back with the Edward that I had once known. Placing one arm around my body, Edward began humming lightly in my ear. I recognized the tune as my lullaby, and while still stroking his cheek, I fell asleep against his chest. No regrets, no fears, no pain. Edward was here, and I was ok.


	5. Chapter 5

For the remainder of our time spent at the hospital, Edward and I had grown accustomed to each other's presence 24/7. Of course, neither of us minded much. Spending each day with Edward was like living in a world of bliss. I couldn't have asked for more. Each morning I'd wake up at his side, and we'd go downstairs and get some breakfast in the hospital cafeteria. (Well, at least I ordered food.) Then we would visit some of the children in the pediatric ward. It was especially amazing when we'd visit a teenage girl, because you could see her expression change as soon as Edward walked into the room. Yes, Edward did have that effect on people. He would often dazzle to the the point where they would start drooling. It must have been a comfort for him to know that his very appearance could brighten someone's day. I know it definately brightened my mood.

After a morning of visiting, we might go down to the gift shop. It was wonderful. Sometimes, Edward would disappear for a moment and then come back - holding onto a stuffed animal or something that he would give to me. Often times, I would giggle and he'd pull me into a hug and kiss the top of my head. There was an older woman who worked at the check out counter, and she would just smile at us each day. She must have been in love like this once in her life.

Sometimes, the days would drag on as we worried more and more about the circumstances of our position. With each day that Carlisle did not return with good news, we knew that it was another day more spent in the hospital, masking our existence to the normal world. One thing Edward started doing, was keeping a journal. For some reason, he would spend hours at a time writing things down. I never bothered to ask him what he was writing - because I knew everything that was going on anyway - or did me. But what mattered the most to me know was that for the time being, we were both safe inside the confines of the hospital.

About three weeks into our stay, I began to wonder what was happening to Edward's thirst. I knew this couldn't be good. My scent had always been so appealing to him, and it had been a while since he had last hunted. I decided to ask him one day.

"Edward, honey - what will happen if you don't hunt soon?"

"I should be fine. There's nothing I can do about it now Bella, so I shouldn't worry about it. Neither should you. It's not a big deal. Our only concern right now is getting out of this place."

For the first time in a while, I sensed fear in Edward's voice. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to change the circumstances and take his thirst for me away. The only thing that could be done was not in my hands. Edward was the only one who could fix it. He'd need to change me into a vampire. If he did this, I would no longer smell appealing to him. If Edward changed me, we'd be able to live eternally together. That's what I wanted right now. All of our problems would be gone, and we could take on the world together.

Days later, Carlisle finally showed up in the hospital. Edward and I had been upstairs on the third floor in the pediatric wing. As soon as we heard the pager, we both knew what it was for. Praying that it was good news, the both of us rushed downstairs.

"Alright guys, here's the deal." Carlisle began. "You can leave with me now, but you are on VERY strict rules. No out after dark, no wandering off, and when you leave our house, you need to be with either me, or Emmett. Deal?"

"Carlisle, what exactly is going on though?" Edward questioned him.

"Well, we cleared things up at the prison. A friend of mine performed his memory loss trick on every there, and they had no recollection that you had even been in the jail in the first place. Vincent has been sighted, but has yet to be caught. I was afraid for a while that if he had been caught, we wouldn't have the evidence that found him guilty. Thankfully he attacked another human. The bad news is, he went after your father, Bella."

The icy cold feeling filled my heart once again, except this time, it was not for Edward. Charlie had been attacked.

"What's wrong with Charlie?" I demanded.

"Bella, he's under my care right now. I believe that Vincent could detect some of your scent within Charlie, which is what led him to that direction in the first place. Unfortunately, we're going to have to perform a memory trick on him as well if you don't want him to know our secret. I can't let you visit him until then, they'll be too many memories associated with you that would be lost. He cannot have any contact with anyone close until the trick has been taken care of."

For once, this made sense. There had been so many times in the past few years in my life when I had not had any clue what was going on, or why I was doing something. If I could entrust Charlie's life to anyone (or anything) in the world, it would be Carlisle. Knowing that he was being taken care of in good hands, I could relax. I felt Edward put his arm around me, and we waited for Carlisle's next words.

"I'm trusting you two", he said next. "When I said you cannot leave this house after dark, I meant it."

"Ok, ok Carlisle, we get it!" Edward's tone was angry now. Why was this so terrible for him?

"Alright, you need to calm down. I promise everything will work out. It'll all be taken care of, and we won't have to worry about Vincent anymore. Charlie will get better, too. His wounds aren't too serious."

"Thank you for helping him. It really means a lot."

Carlisle simply smiled and led us out of the doors of the hospital that had served as our home for the past weeks. Taking my first step out of the door, I was hoping that whatever would happen next would not jeopardize anyone in my family or the Cullen family. The people were much too important to me, and I didn't want anyone hurt at my expense.


	6. Chapter 6

Finally I was able to sleep in something other than an old, mechanical hospital bed. The Cullen's had moved into a home in the far south of Unknown, and this mansion was even bigger than their now abandoned one in Forks. That was saying something. When we arrived home, Edward's "mother", Esme, welcomed us with open arms. At first, I didn't think it would be possible for a Vampire to cry, but apparently it is. Esme embraced me first, repeating my name in a hushed tone over and over again. I had been like another daughter to her - she appreciated me because I had saved Edward from a boring, love-less life. She had also seen the transformation in his personality from pre-Bella, to post-Bella. Thankfully, the transformation had so far been a good one. Esme looked down at me and kissed the top of my head. This was strange, considering all of the Cullens had taken a strong liking to my scent, and would be immensely tempted to feed from me. Nevertheless, she reluctantly let go of me, and moved on to Edward. There was so much care and mother-son love between them - it was beautiful. The funny thing is that Edward was turned into a Vampire first. So technically, Esme could be his daughter. The difference was that Esme had been changed at a later period in her human life, where as Edward had been changed at the innocent age of seventeen. And seventeen was the age he would stay for eternity. At least physically, that is. Esme took a deep breath and everyone in the room could hear her sobbing. Clearly, she was an emotional Vampire. Even if the tears we not visible on her stunningly gorgeous face, you knew that there were tears on the inside. Such a beautiful moment was being created that I felt the need to bow my head down in order to give them some privacy. When Esme was done welcoming her son, she released him and walked over to the kitchen table.

"Does anyone want something to eat?"

"Yeah, very funny, Esme. I think Bella might be a little hungry though." Edward took a seat at the table, and I followed, sitting down in the beautiful wood chair next to him.

"Oh, no thank you Esme, my stomach is still a little upset from all of the news today."

"Oh, Bella, honey, I could only imagine. I figured it would be ok if you could stay in Alice's room tonight? Jasper is out with a friend of his hunting. There should be a lot of space up there for you." Esme's offer sounded wonderful. Anything would be better than my terrible hospital room.

"That sounds wonderful Esme. Thank you so much."

"BELLA!!!!!!!" Alice ran into the kitchen and over to my chair where she jumped into my lap and gave me a huge hug.

"Alice! Oh my gosh I've missed you so much!! You were insane, trying to go after me like that!"

"Nothing stops Alice, you know." Another one of Edward's brothers, Emmett, walked into the kitchen with a smile on his face."

"Hey, Emmett, it's good to see you!" I warmly stated.

"Same here, Bella. Same here."

"Where's Rosalie?" I questioned. Emmett's "wife" as I supposed you would call it, had never been my biggest fan. She felt it was wrong for Edward to take such an extreme liking to a human. Unfortunately, she hadn't been as excited about our homecoming as everyone else was.

"Well, you know Rose," Emmett started. "She wasn't feeling very well and decided to turn in early. I'm assuming she'll say her 'hellos' in the morning."

"I'll give her a hello of my own, that witch." Alice clearly did not respect her sister sometimes.

"Alice, it's fine, really. I'm just glad that I'm here with you guys and that we're all ok." This was true. I couldn't be happier than I was right then.

"Agreed. Very well put, Bella. Now, if you'll excuse me, it's been such a long day. I really need to relax. It's another big day tomorrow." Carlisle did look stressed. The funny thing is that Vampires don't sleep. Their bodies don't need the rest like humans do. I wondered about this because Rosalie could very well NOT be sleeping. It was impossible for a Vampire. I figured she just decided to be rude and evasive toward me again.

"Ok, Alice, why don't you take Bella up to your room and get everything settled? I'm sure Bella needs the sleep." This was true. I had never been more exhausted in my life. Following Alice, I snook a peek at Edward, and he winked at me. I was sure this meant that he'd be up for a visit later on in the night. This was good, considering how now I was attached to falling asleep at his side. I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to fall asleep without him again.

When we got into Alice's room, she opened her closet and took out a sleeping bag and pillow. Both looked very torn and aged.

"I'm sorry Bells; this is the best I can do. You know, Vampires don't usually sleep, and this is what I had with me when I was changed, so it's the only thing I can give you."

"Don't worry, Alice, anything would be just fine."

"You're too easy, darling. Toughen up!" Alice teased me.

Alice finished setting up my "bed", said goodnight and left me alone in the room. About an hour later, Edward had come in for a visit. He seemed entirely stressed, and I knew he had been talking to Carlisle about the current situation at hand. Though he was clearly in need of a good hunt, he lay down beside me and wrapped his arm gently around my body. Kissing the top of my head, he sang my lullaby. When he finished the first verse, something strange came over me. I felt the urge to just hold on tight. Foolishly, I grabbed into Edward's body and kissed him with all the passion inside of me. Edward responded by kissing me even more passionately back, and this continued for a moment or so. After a time, He pulled back slowly, and shut his eyes.

"Edward, I am SO SO sorry." This had been a mistake. It was already enough for him to handle - my scent in this room while he was thirsty enough as it was.

"It's ok Bella. Thank you for that. You make me feel so perfect, you know. So complete. It was right. What you did was absolutely fine." Edward laid his head down on my chest and listened to the heartbeat. "This is so beautiful. Please don't ever go away Bella Baby. Please don't. You need to stay here with me - forever."

This was the first time Edward spoke of the change. The change that would be mine. All it had taken was that one beautiful, passionate kiss for Edward to realize I needed to become a Vampire, just like him. My heart opened up to him completely and for the first time in my life, I was completely speechless. Edward Cullen was just about the most magical being that had ever existed on the earth.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning was a hectic one. Carlisle had already been gone by the time I woke up. The entire Cullen family was sitting around the television in their new living room when I went downstairs. Night must be a terribly boring time for a Vampire. What is there to do when the rest of the world is asleep? Rosalie had decided to make an appearance that morning. Edward was the first to stand up.

"Bella Baby", he whispered in my ear as he gave me a hug. "Good morning sweetheart."

"Bella, I'm glad to see you're here and in one piece" Rosalie said kindly. What a surprise. I wasn't expecting any kind of welcome from her.

"Are you hungry, Bella dear?" Esme questioned.

"Not really. I'm still a little queasy from yesterday."

"Ok not to worry. Whenever you're hungry, you just let me know." Esme was just about the sweetest person I'd ever met.

"Thank you Esme." I replied with a smile.

The rest of the morning passed nicely. We all sat around the television for a while, watching (and mocking) soap operas. Then Edward decided to give us all a mini piano recital. His music was so beautiful. It put me in a trance and drew me into tears every time he started playing. This morning's recital consisted of Edward-compositions only. That was fine by me. His music could beat any composer's. After we finished listening to Edward, Emmett suggested that we all go outside and play kick ball. Unfortunately, I was not looking forward to this, seeing as how I was coordinationally challenged. Edward promised that he wouldn't let me get hurt. I hoped he would stick to that promise. I was sick of hospitals by now.

As we walked outside, I could feel the coming of a storm. This reminded me of a time a while ago, when I had gone out with the Cullen family and played baseball with them. Because of their extra strength, Vampires could really only play sports during a thunderstorm. The idea behind this was that hopefully the neighboring residents that were human would believe that it was the thunder that was making such loud noises. In reality, it was the Vampire either hitting a ball with a bat, kicking a ball, etc. Even though that one day had brought along a vicious hunter and his family, the memories of the baseball game were pretty cool. I hadn't done anything too serious to injure myself, but I also had Edward with me, with just made everything better. When we finally arrived in a meadow, far away from the rest of society, Emmett made the first move.

"Ok, who should be captain?" Oh gosh, I had thought. I'd be picked last id Edward wasn't a captain. Though the Cullens loved me and were very welcoming, they knew of my challenge with coordination.

"I'll be one" Edward volunteered. This was a relief: I would be spared the embarrassment of being the last player picked for a team.

"Count me in then" Alice also offered. So it was settled, and we began picking teams. Alice went first and chose Esme. Edward followed, choosing me, which was not surprising to anyone. By the time we were finished, my team consisted of Edward, Emmett and I, while Alice's team was made up of Esme, Rosalie, and Alice herself. Before we could continue, Rosalie started complaining about how the teams were unfair. She argued that each team should have only one boy. Therefore, we traded Emmett for Esme. Soon enough, we started playing.

Seeing as how there were only three players on a team, we only had a pitcher, a catcher, and one outfielder. Unfortunately, my team was in the field first, and I was given the position of outfielder. Emmett was first to kick for the other team. It had been a while since I had played a sport with the Cullens, and I had forgotten the mega-strength they had. He kicked the ball with such force that just the wind alone that it created was enough to knock me off-balance. I went tumbling over, catching myself with my palms. I could feel the grains of sand dig into my skin and prayed to god that there would be no blood. If I was bleeding, I was in trouble. I was surrounded by five Vampires who had a hard enough time resisting my scent as it was.

Quickly, Edward ran over, telling the other to walk in the other direction. They obeyed, knowing that Edward was the only one with enough control around me to behave himself and not do anything worth regretting. Edward bent down on one knee and took a look at my hands. No blood – thank God for that.

"I'm really just perfectly fine, Edward. I think I'm just a little off-balance today, that's all."

"Bella Baby, you really should try to be more careful" Edward smiled at me. Taking my hand in his, he pulled me up and held me in a hug. After a minute, he waved the others to come back. When they started making their way towards us, I could see that something was wrong.

"What is it?" Edward asked immediately.

"Alice saw something", Rosalie answered.

Alice, like Edward, had an extra sense that she acquired during her change from human to Vampire. She could see into the future. Alice stood as we watched her, pressing her fingertips to her temple – clearly trying to look for more information.

"I see people – humans. And there's also sunlight. It will be here in eight minutes. We need to get away from here before they catch us in the sun. They're curious – there're four of them. They want to know what all this noise was."

Alice removed her fingers from her head and looked back up at us. We knew what we had to do, for the same thing happened to us last time, except then, there were Vampires after us; not humans. Taking both of my hands, Edward pulled me up onto his back. The others had already started the run back to the mansion. Seeing as how I did not have super Vampire speed, Edward would have to run while carrying me. He started making the journey, and I kept my eyes tightly shut as I felt the wind fly through my hair. Usually when traveling Edward-style, I would begin to feel sick. This time, however, I felt almost – powerful. It was such an odd sensation. It was definitely one that I didn't feel often. I enjoyed it while I could, making sure to keep my eyes closed for fear of losing my fearless persona. When Edward finally slowed down, I slowly opened my eyes and saw that we were stopped in the middle of the path, stopped by the four humans. A mother, a father, and their two children. All four were smiling brightly at us. Unfortunately, I knew this wasn't going to go over well. Not many people are used to seeing someone travel at the speed a Vampire can on foot. I waited for their first words.

"Are you two from around here?" The man asked us, looking genuinely interested.

"Actually, my fiancée and I were just trying to find a place for our wedding. You see, there's a very nice meadow just outside of the path that we were considering. It's very lovely, if you would be interested in checking it out."

Edward's eyes flickered to the picnic basket the woman was carrying, obviously assuming that they were trying to find a decent place to eat. The woman spoke next.

"Oh congratulations. You two definitely make a lovely couple."

Through my nerves, I could feel my face turning red. This wasn't the first time someone had commented on how wonderful Edward and I were as a pair. I also like how Edward was referring to me as his fiancée. It felt very different. It almost made me feel older – about five years older than I really was – eighteen.

"We actually decided to come out here to find a nice relaxing place for a picnic with the kids. I have the day off from work, so I decided that would be nice." The father looked down at his two young children with pride.

Nervously, I though about if they would ask what the noise was. Fortunately, they seemed like they wanted to move along on their trip.

"Well, it was nice speaking to you, and I wish you the best of luck with your wedding." The woman smiled at us, clearly looking like she meant every word that she said.

Edward and I said our "thank-yous" and after they were clear out of distance we started walking again, but at a slower pace, of course. My heart slowed down after a while and I took a deep breath. Trying to hide the fact that your supposed finance was a Vampire was very hard work. Walking hand in hand, Edward and I finished the journey, warning the others of the humans that lurked just outside of our current surroundings. Hopefully, they would not be curious and come looking for other signs of people. Jasper would be returning home from his hunting trip soon, and I was not prepared to have someone killed and put on Jasper's conscious. He was new to the Vampire thing, and self-control didn't come as easily to him as it did to the others. I just prayed that everything would stay as smoothly as it had so far.


	8. Chapter 8

Edward and I had gotten safely back into the Cullen's mansion. It seemed as though the rest of the journey had gone by fast and quietly. The entire time, all I could think about was what Edward had said to cover up for our whereabouts. It had been smooth; a good excuse to use, considering how we apparently looked old enough to be engaged. I was always afraid that people would think poorly of Edward if they saw what a person like HIM was dating. Edward was so perfect. He looked like an angel, and he was always kind, polite, and he could keep his balance. Me on the other hand – well, I'm just plain and simple Bella. I'm not ugly, but I'm really not the kind of girl that a guy would stop in the hallway to look at. I didn't want Edward's values to be in the wrong place. He could use a girl that was so much better than me. He needed a girl who was drop-dead gorgeous, with good coordination, and more self-confidence. Why on earth did he want me? None of it made sense. But, according to most others, we were pretty good together. I guess whatever good looks I had were brought out more by Edward's stunning beauty. I had always been afraid that I would look like a dog compared to him. Sometimes, you see boys who are dating girls that are just so UGLY. You have to wonder – with all the pretty girls in the world, why are they with that person? Is it because this person puts up with their problems and dishonesty because she knows she would have a hard time finding someone else? It's brutally mean, I know, but it's always been something I've thought about: even more so since I started dating Edward. Love must be the key. If you were in love, it shouldn't matter what you looked like. The problem was, even though Edward loved me, I felt that he deserved a girl who had so much more to offer than I did. Instead of mentioning this minor fear and concern to him, I decided to keep quiet for the time being. Right now, the circumstances at hand were our safety, and the safety of all others around us.

"Guys what on earth _HAPPENED?!?"_ Alice ran over to us as we walked in the door, clearly knowing that we had met up with human visitors. She looked obviously shocked, and the ferociousness in her voice took me aback.

"Alice, relax." Edward started answering. "They were out looking to have a picnic. I covered us to the best of my ability – saying that Bella and I were trying to find a place for our outdoor wedding. I guess it worked. They moved on, not questions asked."

I heard a distinct grunt fro the opposite side of the room, and noticed Rosalie, sitting in a chair, looking more beautiful than ever. Everyone looked over at her.

"What? Do you seriously think these two could be married? You're all insane. She's not even a monster. She's a human. That's like mixed breeding." Rosalie tilted her head back and shut her eyes, visibly annoyed with everything that was happening.

"You know what, don't even worry about her." Emmett promised he would take care of the situation later.

"Alright, alright. But what happened is they find our house?"

"Alice chill. We can act like a bunch of normal humans. It's not that hard. Just spread yourselves around the house and pretend that you're doing something fun." Esme always knew how to stay calm.

"Guys I really don't think we have to worry. Just go about your business, but with eyes wide open. They're no secrets now – just calm down." Everyone looked to Edward in these situations, and this time, they seemed to trust him once again. Everyone just cleared out of the living room, except for Rosalie, who kept her eyes shut in the same position as she was before. Leading me from the room, Edward took me upstairs to his room so we could talk. What we were talking about was something that I was not prepared for.

"Bells, I want you with me forever. The thing is, I don't know if changing you is the right thing to do."

"Edward, if you don't change me, you're going to be a seventeen-year-old boy dating an eighty-year-old woman one day." I almost laughed at the very thought. It was so ridiculous. The only clear solution was to give me an immortal life.

"Bella, I really want to talk to Carlisle about this. But if you are sure, maybe we'll consider it. It's just that I've felt closer to you in these past few days than I ever have. I'm getting tired of staying away. For crying out loud, I have to control myself when I kiss you for fear that I will kill you. I don't want that anymore." He looked as though he was being pushed to tears. Taking a step toward him, I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned my head against his back.

"Edward honey, what I want more than anything in the world right now, is to become a Vampire, and live eternity with you. I love you. I really just love you, Edward."

Closing his eyes, Edward leaned down and kissed my head. We stayed in this position for a long time, just holding each other and promising our eternal love. It was a moment like no other, and I would not have traded it for the world. Such a moment was probably too good to last, right? Well, in Bella Cullen's world, it was.

Frantically, Alice came running up the stairs and bounded into Edward's room.

"Ed, they're coming! They want to meet us. They're curious about who lives in this house! Please Ed, come down and help us. I don't know what to do and Rose will not do anything."

Edward and I raced downstairs.

"How much time do we have?" he asked.

"About twenty minutes."

"Alright everyone, just relax. These people are nice – they did even seem curious about the noise from the game. Just sit tight, and act like you're doing your normal activities. I was by them earlier, and none of them had a scent too desperately appealing. We should all be fine. I know that we're growing used to Bella's scent around here, and another might cause some trouble, but please, use a little self-control, and we'll be fine."

Edward led me into the great room where his piano was located. Sitting me down in a chair, he made his way toward the instrument, smiled at me, and began playing. The confusion that was taking place right now was melted away from my mind the minute he started playing. How did he do that? He knew exactly how to calm me down. He was amazing. Edward Cullen was simply perfect, and I would get to spend eternity with him; fighting danger at his side.

For the next twenty minutes or so, the entire house was in a complete state of tension. No one could move. Though everyone was trying to act natural, the staging was completely obvious. Getting more and more stressed by the second, we could feel time ticking away. Eventually, Alice spoke up.

"They've decided to take a different path." She said. "They'd rather go home. It looks like they're tired and want to rest. Ok, I can see it now. They're going to be getting in their car, and they're going to drive away from here. I think we're safe. I don't see anything or anyone else around."

The aura of the atmosphere changed instantly. Everyone's shoulders relaxed, and we could all easily breathe again. Now my only concern was Charlie.

He had been hidden in the back of my mind since Carlisle told me about the attack. I tended to mask my fears and forget about things that upset me. That is, of course, unless that thing was Edward. The entire time he was gone, I couldn't focus on anything BUT his sudden disappearance. Charlie though, was stored at the back of my mind. I did not want to think about what had happened to him. It seemed almost insane; believing that your father had been attacked by a Vampire. A few years ago, if someone had even hinted at that very idea, I would've told them they were crazy. It's not often that you stumble upon a life like this. It should be expected, however, if you choose to spend your entire life in the presence of someone like Edward Cullen. According to Carlisle, Charlie would be ok. They would have to destroy his memory, but he would be safe. The whole memory thing didn't really much bother me. It seemed to be the best thing to do in such a situation. With enough luck, Charlie would even forget that I ran away from home in search of Edward. Even if he did remember, it's not like there was much he could do about it. I was eighteen, and therefore, I was legally responsible for myself and all of my actions. There were a few times when I had felt like a child around Charlie. He didn't understand that he had missed out on the part of my life when I actually needed such guidance. Though I felt badly about that, I was not going to let my life be controlled by someone who could not even respect my decision to love Edward.

One thing that I had appreciated about my mother was her insane ability to understand my feelings. I had not given her much to think about – I'd always been a fairly average person. Edward was even my first real boyfriend. This made things easier for my poor mother. She had yet to take care of me and mend a broken heart. The funny thing was, she never would have to help me get over a broken heart. Edward and I could never be separated. We'd be together forever. It was scary to me, actually, that I had found my lifelong partner before even experimenting with dating, like most teenagers did. What was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to one day show up at my mother's house with Edward, and introduce him as my husband? It almost felt like things in my life were changing in the blink of an eye. Bella was no fool, but deep down, she knew what she was getting herself into.

A whirlwind of emotion were the only words that could describe my true feelings for Edward. But those words were even not enough. He was simply out of this world. I guess in a way, he sort of was. I remember the day when I first met him. It was not one I could easily forget. You couldn't exactly say that I had "met" him, but you definitely could say that we both had made quite an impression on each other. He had been sitting at a lunch table back at our Forks High School, and I had been sitting at a table on the opposite side of the room, filling in the expectations on everyone's minds. I was the new girl around school. Because of legal reasons, I was now supposed to attend Forks High School, and unfortunately at the time, I was dreading it. What made matters worse, was Edward. He had been so evil to me our first day, giving me nervous, anxious, rude glances every time our eyes met. It made me uncomfortable to be in his very presence. Later on I found out, however, that this was because he had been drastically drawn-in by the scent of my blood. He'd been infatuated by my smell, and could not understand why he couldn't read my thoughts. This was frustrating to him because he was so used to knowing what everyone else was thinking. Once we had begun talking, however, things warmed up between us, and here we are today.

I knew that no matter what happened to Charlie, or anyone else, that everything would be ok because I had Edward. Things would always look promising as long as my love was here. I was frightened of losing him, though. Like I have said, being in a relationship with a Vampire is a very risky thing. I would not advise you to do so, unless you are truly in love with the one you're pursuing. As for me, well, Edward was just my type.


	9. Chapter 9

That very next morning, Carlisle returned with good news about Charlie. He had been completely healed, and his memory had been totally modified. Excitedly, I asked if I was now able to be with my father. This had been so stressful on me. I hated it when people I loved were hurt.

"Bella, if I take you with me to the hospital, you have to promise to stay with either me or Edward the ENTIRE time. I mean it – Vincent is still out there, and is still very much infatuated by your scent."

"Carlisle, I promise you I will do whatever you say. All I want is to see my father." My answer was simple, but could not mask the fear in my eyes. Vincent had not been captured. I was about to go out into the Vampire world, with my pursuer on the loose. I figured as long as Carlisle and Edward were there, this wouldn't be such a big deal. I grasped my emotions, and made my way to Dr. Cullen's car.

Upon our arrival to the Unknown Hospital, I had to sign in, and register with a certain form. Apparently they took human visitors very seriously around here. Charlie was upstairs in the recovery portion of the hospital. After all the time Edward and I spent in this place, you'd think I'd remember where we were going. But, of course not. Bella was not good with directions. Thankfully, Carlisle knew which way to go.

Charlie was positioned upright in his bed, looking ecstatic to see me.

"BELLA!" Charlie roared my name with an intense force, and I ran over to hug him. "Bells, are you ok? How have you been?" Leave it to Charlie to ask questions like this.

"Charlie, I'm fine, I've been just fine. But really, I am concerned about you."

"Aww, Bells, I'm doing just fine. That car accident really took its toll on me."

Obviously, when Charlie woke up after his healing, he was told he had been involved in a pretty intense car crash. He seemed convinced of this, which was a very good thing. I didn't want his already-present suspicions of the Cullen family to grow anymore.

Then, a nurse came in, telling us that visitors needed to leave – Charlie needed a shower.

"Bella, I love you so much. I know you're safe, and I want you to listen to everything Dr. Cullen tells you."

"Ok, Charlie, I will. I promise. I love you, too." I kissed my father goodbye, and made my way out of his recovery room, noticing that Edward had not spoken the entire time. When we had left the room entirely, he pulled me into the corner of the hallway, and started giving me directions.

"Bella, Vincent is back, and he's picking up on your scent. I heard him thinking about it. We need to get you back downstairs to Carlisle, now."

My heart sank as I rushed down the stairs with Edward. Unfortunately, my wishes had not come true. Vincent was back. If I wasn't changed into a Vampire soon, I would have to spend the rest of my life running away from hungry immortals.

"Carlisle!" Edward screamed as we made it down to his father's office. "It's Vincent! I heard him, he's close. He wants to kill Bella. What are we supposed to do?"

Carlisle's calmed expression changed to frantic anger.

"Take her and hide her somewhere in here. We'll lock down the hospital and try to keep him from coming in. It's the only thing we can do right now. We didn't have enough notice." Carlisle looked more worried than I have ever seen him. This didn't comfort me any. I had always used Carlisle's words to calm me in a bad situation.

Taking my hand, Edward led me to the attic of the hospital. I understood why he did this – the attic was filled with windows that streamed light. Any vampire would shy away from light as much as possible. It was cleaver of Edward, really. Ignoring his abilities in sunlight, Edward placed me in a corner of the room, and his me with a curtain that was no longer used by the hospital staff. I stared at him as the sunlight reflected off his skin. His beauty was radiant. The skin on his body gleamed with pride, and I was so lucky to be his.

"Bella," he started. "I love you. I will do whatever I can to keep you safe. Stay here, and don't move. We'll figure this out. Stay calm, baby Bella. I'm protecting you for as long as I can."

With that, Edward disappeared from the room. He obviously didn't want to give me a kiss or do anything that signified a goodbye. The pain that would come from that would be too immeasurable. Stranded with fear, I was frozen in my position. This was unbelievable. I felt as though I were in a nightmare. Soon enough the hyperventilation began and I could feel my lungs stop taking in air. In a second, I was passed out on the floor of the attic, with not even my own sanity protecting me.

I was awake now, not sure of where I was. I was alone in a room, placed on a bed with red silk blankets and a burgundy canopy above my head. Fear started to go through my body as I felt pain. This pain was distant, like the aftershock of breaking a bone, or for my current matter, burning yourself. Shaking now, I felt cold. It was as though my blood had been frozen, like the icy cold feeling you get after touching something hot. Sitting up slightly, I closed my eyes and ran my fingers through my hair. My hair. I sopped, allowing my hands to travel the length of my back. The entire time, I felt thick waves of hair falling down long past my shoulders. My hair was thin, and poker straight, and did not fall more than two inches past my shoulders. Now, my hair had waves to it, and was almost reaching my waist. Shuddering violently now, I sat in a complete upright position, opening my eyes with confusion. My vision was sharper than it normally was, and I could see every mark on the wall opposite me. Every piece of dirt was evident, and it seemed strange that my eyes could now pick up on such detail.

In one corner of this room, there was a mirror. In an attempt to clear my sanity of the new hair style I could now feel, I made my way to the mirror. My heart stopped as I looked at my appearance. I was no longer the same person. The hair I had felt was waist-length, wavy, and crimson red. My eyes were now dark brown, instead of a hazel, chocolate color. The skin that had always been pale, was now even whiter, and there were dark purple rings underneath each of my now sunken-in eyes. With a cry, I lept back over to the bed and covered myself with the silky blankets. _You're just dreaming, Bella, that's all._ I tried to tell myself that I was making this up, and sooner or later, I would wake up and be the same Isabella Swan, living in a mansion with the Cullen family.

A minute later, I opened my eyes, only to have my hopes erased. I was still in the same room, with the dramatic red bedding, and the gaudy, old mirror. I could feel my hair again, the same crimson red I had discovered before. In a haze, I really did believe I was going insane. Now, the crying started, the shaking started, and the breathing stopped. The breathing STOPPED. Instead of passing out from lack of oxygen like I normally did when I stopped breathing, I was fine. This time, nothing happened. It was like I did not need to breathe. I was beginning to see more and more new traits in myself that resembled a Vampire. Curious shock ran through my as I ran to the mirror once more. My new appearance was stunning. I still slightly resembled my old self, but this time, I was stunningly beautiful. Shutting my eyes and raising my hands to my forehead, I came to the conclusion that I was a Vampire. How it had happened, I did not know. What I wanted right now was to learn my whereabouts and find Edward. This was a matter that called for extreme investigation.


	10. Chapter 10

A dazzling light could be seen shining brightly above me. I tried to reach it with all my strength, my arms outstretch, but nothing would reach it. I desperately wanted to know who, or what this light was. The silvery glow about it was so familiar. It's identity I could feel, but could not recognize. Something inside of me warmed. Suddenly around my waist, I felt a velvet touch as something wrapped itself around me. As I tried to move my head, I felt a splitting pain everywhere in my body. For a second, I was immobilized. Then, as the things wrapped themselves even tighter around me, I felt a ginger-soft burst of air on my cheek, followed by something a little moister on my lips. Fearing I would not be able to figure out the new mystery, my body suddenly slipped into a tired state. At that second, all I wanted to do was sleep. Ever so gently, something a little harder leaned against my chest, and I felt the bed sink a little lower, as if something heavy had been placed on it. As much as I tried to fight it, the feeling of extreme fatigue would not leave me. Giving in to myself, I leaned back against the new occupant of my bed, and fell fast asleep once more.

In this dream, I saw Edward. This however, was not the Edward I remembered from a few days ago. This Edward was scarier, and darker. Looking down on me, I could see his ghastly red eyes matching a liquidly red flow pouring out of his mouth. His head bent down slightly, and I started screaming.

"Bella, Bella! It's ok, you're only dreaming! Bella Baby, wake up!" Edward's voice was calling me, but I could not escape the riveting pain that my body was now experiencing. I could feel my body thrashing around in the bed; I could feel the covers being thrown, and the pillows being torn. Most importantly, I could feel Edward's grip trying to restrain me. Eventually, I was able to stop myself. Still breathless, I looked helplessly at Edward.

"Bella Baby, you're just having an aftershock of what happened to you earlier. Relax sweetie, I'm here with you now. You're safe, I promise."

Nothing was making sense to being with, and Edward's words just complicated things more.

"Edward, what happened earlier?"

Staring blankly at me, Edward's face grew into a helpless frown, and I was afraid I had said something wrong.

"Bella, haven't you noticed yet? You're not the same on the outside. Or inside, in a physical matter. Bella, you're like me now. Vincent changed you. I was too late to stop the venom this time."

A fuzzy memory was coming back to me now. Slowly, I could feel the truth progressing in my mind. Gently, I moved my hand to the back of my head, and ran my fingers through the length of my hair. Sure enough, my hair was longer now, and thicker. As I began to sit up in the bed, I noticed that my vision was sharper. Right then, I remembered the conclusion I had reached before falling asleep. I, Bella Swan, was now a Vampire.

Edward was looking at me cautiously. I assumed that he didn't know what to make of the situation. I must have been a strange sight at that moment. My body had started shaking roughly, and I felt myself stop breathing. As in most normal cases, you pass out, or die when you stop breathing. But, now, I was fine. A Vampire was definitely what I was now. Realization was the one thing that was becoming difficult. This had been a dream of mine for so long, that I couldn't believe it was actually happening. For as long as I'd been in love with Edward, I'd wanted to spend eternity with him, in his same form. Now, I was one step closer to that being true.

"Edward, please don't blame yourself for this."

"Bella, it's all my fault, don't you see? Vincent found you in the hospital and I couldn't fight him off. He was gone. He just disappeared right in front of me. Before Alice had a clear vision of where you were, it was already too late. I arrived in time to keep him from killing you, but I did not have enough time to stop the venom from completely leaking through your system. Don't you see, Bella? If I had been stronger, you would still be human, and you would still have a whole life ahead of you."

"Edward, don't be upset about this. This is what I wanted. I wanted eternity with you."

Before he could speak again, I jumped into his lap and hung my arms around his neck. For the first time since I had felt it, Edward Cullen's touch was warm on my skin. Curiosity sprang up between the two of us, and I could sense the fire burning in both of our hearts. As we leaned in, Edward's once-cold stone lips now pressed to mine. Except this time, they were warmer, and felt real. Without any hesitation this time, we kissed. All of the passion that was kept secluded over the past year was gone. Edward was not in fear of killing me while kissing me, and nor was I vice versa. If I had ever thought I loved Edward Cullen at all, I was wrong. For what I had felt before was not love. THIS – what was happening right now – this proved to me that I was in love. If I thought love was amazing before, I didn't have a clue. For a few more minutes we kept this up, and then gently, Edward released me and we cuddled up under the covers of the bed, and as I tried to drift into sleep, I couldn't. Edward noticed what I was feeling, and with one look, I immediately remembered that it was because Vampires could not sleep. _This must be the hardest part,_ I thought to myself. _You feel so tired, but you cannot sleep._ With a little frustration from tiredness, I leaned in against Edward's body, and felt warmth and comfort. Vampires must only feel cold to their prey. Now, Edward felt to me, as Jacob once did. To me, Edward felt human.

It was amazing that our love was now stronger than ever. If anything, I would have expected our love to fail. Part of our relationship before was understanding our limits, and knowing what we could not do. Part of Edward's attraction to me was my scent. Now, considering I had no blood, I feared Edward would not love me. But, as he held me tightly to him and murmured an "I love you" in my ear, I knew our love was still strong. The most comforting aspect of the entire thing was that now Edward and I could fight our battles together – as an equal force.


	11. Chapter 11

Second Half of Unknown

Edward Cullen's POV

My darling Isabella had been turned into a monster. This was something the I NEVER wanted to happen to her. My baby Bella was the most precious thing in the world to me, and I was so upset to be responsible for her change. Though I know it's what she truly wants, it seems unfair to be taken away so suddenly from a human life. No one should want a life like I have – the monster.

When I went to visit Bella, I was absolutely taken away by her beauty. Before, I thought she was the most beautiful and gorgeous girl in the universe – but now, she was literally and angel. If such things as God and Heaven existed, Bella would be the most special angel up there.

Carlisle had set-up a secret invisible room to keep Bella away from the world right now. It would be a tough time for her. When I arrived there, Bella was in some kind of trance. Soon I realized that she was tired, and thought she would be able to fall asleep. She had obviously forgotten that Vampires can't fall asleep. Muffling a chuckle, I made my way over to her bed.

With excitement, I have her a kiss and curled up beside her. Everything was so different now. I was not tempted to kill my beloved this time, and she was so much easier to cuddle without the thirst. I loved my Bella to death, and I couldn't wait for her to wake up.

Suddenly, with thrashing and uncontrollable sobs, Bella came out of her trance. Her actions were frightening and I did my best to console her. I used words that were familiar to her, even if they couldn't be possible.

"Bella Baby, you're only dreaming, it's ok!"

Though this was not possible for a Vampire, it was something Bella was used to, and hopefully she would understand that everything was just fine. I hated seeing my love in such pain and confusion.

After I calmed Bella down, I explained the entire story. She tried so hard to convince me that her change was not my fault. Even so, I could not shake off my intense feelings of doubt and regret. Well, that is until Bella and I somehow fell even more in love than we already were. How was that possible? I thought that previously, Bella and I were more in love than any other coupled in the world.

Slowly, the anticipation grew between us. I could sense something incredible; I just wasn't prepared for what I would feel. Gingerly at first, our lips touched. Everything inside of me changed. Warmness grew inside like nothing I had ever felt before. Gradually, our lips moved harder and locked tighter in a more passionate movement. This was something we (well, Bella) could only dream about before. If anything like this would have happened, I would probably have unintentionally murdered her right there on the spot. It took everything inside of me at that moment to not cave in and do anything that Bella's father, Charlie, would kill me for. As we pulled away from each other, the only thing I could do was hold her. Just the blessing of still being alive was a mystery to the both of us. But this newfound passion almost frightened me. It scared me that I felt so much for one person. I was afraid to let go of her. I feared she would disappear and I would never see her again.

"Edward?" I heard Bella's voice call out to me in the progressing darkness.

"Yes, my love?" I pulled her in closer as I waited for her response.

"I love you", she whispered in my ear.

"I love you too, sweetheart", I said.

Isabella Swan was the most angelic creature EVER. I couldn't not even believe that she had chosen to be with me, the monster, for the rest of her life.

In a sudden flash, Bella went back into a trance. She didn't blink her eyes for a full two minutes. For the first half of this time, her face was twisted in a pained expression, and she looked terribly confused and frightened. Then, ever so gently, her expression changed to one of pity. When she finally blinked and came back to reality, I just waited. She spoke first.

"Edward! First, I saw you attacking Vincent. It was as if her were afraid of you…" her voice trailed off as she came into deep realization.

"I think", she started, "I think that I can see the deepest fears in people. What does that mean?"

How she came to realize this, I did not know. I didn't know how to answer her, so I wanted to hear the rest of her story.

"Baby, what else did you see?"

With hesitation and slight frustration, Bella tried to remember everything else she saw.

"I think I saw Alice. Alice and Jasper were curled up on the couch. Then, it was as if the entire world went dark. When the lights went on again, Jasper wasn't there, and Alice began sobbing."

Poor Bella looked so frustrated. Right off the bat though, I knew what was going on. Vampires sometimes have certain "powers", if that's what you want to call them. For example, I can hear peoples' thoughts, and Alice can see the future. It now occurred to me that Bella had the ability to witness a person's biggest fear. This could be very useful. Considering if we ever needed to hurt someone for our protection, we could discover their largest weakness and have an advantage. Clearly, Vincent's biggest fear had been me catching and murdering him. My sister Alice was afraid of losing her one true love, Jasper.

I tried explaining this to Bella, and she seemed almost happy to have been given such a cool gift.

"But the key is though honey", I told her, "You have to learn how to control it. You can't just go into random trances like that."

Bella smiled at me slightly, and then said:

"Edward, I guess now I really am a Vampire"

"Yes, my love, you really are." I pulled my baby in close and we rested that way for the rest of the night. Occasionally we talked, but for the most part, we just remained in each other's company, falling more and more in love.

My poor Bella must have been so exhausted, I could tell. With the combination of physical strain from the changing combined with the emotional aspects, she would be wiped out. This was not easy for her. I was proud of Bella though. She was handling this in such a calm way.

I smiled at her as she lay, and found myself in my own kind of trance. I was just so stunned by this girl. She was so precious – a mere blessing from God. Her very touch made me want to melt. Bella was the most gentle and delicate creature I had ever laid eyes on. In fact, Bella seemed so fragile to me that I was always afraid of breaking her. So many times I had seen her in pain. One thing I now wished for is that she would have more coordination and would not hurt herself as much. Seeing my Baby Bella in pain was complete torture. There were times that I just couldn't handle it and had to shut my eyes.

Ever since I met Bella, it had been a struggle to keep her alive. So many times in the beginning, I wondered why on EARTH I was going to such lengths to protect a silly, human girl. It was at times like these – holding her against my body, that I hated myself for the way I thought back then.

I didn't want Bella to ever see my biggest fear. That would something neither one of us could handle, for my biggest fear was anything that would take her away from me.

Pushing away these thoughts from my mind, I nestled my cheek against hers, and laid still, feeling her body heat warm me. At times like these, everything thing bad in the world would disappear. All that mattered was Isabella Swan and me.


	12. Author's Note

**OEmeraldZ**

**Author's Note**

Ok. What do you guys think so far? I really enjoyed writing from Bella's POV for the first ten chapters, but now that I've tried a chapter from Edward's, I kind of enjoy it even more. Should I keep writing it this way, or does no one really care? Preferences? So I'm definitely going to continue my story. I don't know how much longer I'm going to make it, but as of now, it's probably going to be at least eight more chapters. So let me know what y'all think. 

Much Love!

**-:- OEmeraldZ**

[Nicole


	13. Chapter 13

**Edward's POV**

The next day brought with it more and more mayhem. When I saw the sunlight begin to shine through the windows, I felt so much better about everything that had happened. Bella was still safe, and smiling up at me. Her change was still not a concern to her, and I really hoped it would stay that way.

"So, what are supposed to do now that it's morning?" Bella asked me quietly.

I chuckled a little before answering her. It would take a while to get used to the 'no sleeping' policy. It is very difficult, but we seem to manage fairly well under the circumstances. Sometimes, it's almost better that way. We can use the darkness to hunt in peace, and we can stay on full alert 24/7. Yes, sometimes I wish I could sleep. But really, it wasn't all that bad.

"Well Bella, we need to wait for Carlisle to come and get us. He said he wouldn't come until Vincent was gone and locked up far away."

At this, Bella smiled. I couldn't blame her. If Vincent had been following me and attacking me for so long, I would want him gone. Though the thought of having Vincent locked up was a huge comfort to me, I couldn't stop feeling that something else was starting. Inside, I knew that was something terrible.

As far as I could tell, Carlisle would be arriving here in a little less than an hour. I wanted to make the most of my time of privacy with Bella.

Softly I lifted her up and carried her over to the bed. There was something I had wanted to do. After she was seated and comfortable, I curled up beside her ad reached into my pocket. Bella's mouth dropped as soon as she recognized what I was holding. I smiled at her shocked reaction. In my hands, I held a small, dark-blue jewelry box. I had one chance to do this, and it needed to be done right.

"Bella," I started, taking her hands in mine. "Ever since I first saw you, I knew you were special. Little did I know we would have gone through so much in such a small amount of time. The beauty is, we did it together. Isabella Swan, I want to spend the rest of eternity with you by my side. I love you, please marry me."

My insides were shaking with anticipation. Bella's beautiful eyes filled with tears and she fell into me with sobs.

"Yes Edward, yes, I will marry you, I love you!"

Bella continued crying. I wasn't sure if that was something a Vampire could do, but Bella was capable of anything. I held her – my fiancée, and thanked my lucky stars for everything.

It was later in the afternoon that we heard a knock on the door. It was Carlisle, of course – nothing to be worried about. When I unlocked the door and pulled it open, Carlisle was standing next to two of the officers from the Unknown police department.

"Hey Ed – before we can lock Vincent up and have him sentenced, there needs to be a trial, and we need evidence. Our only evidence in this case is Bella."

My eyes flickered to Bella's frightened face as I made a noise to signal I was pissed off.

"There has to be more evidence!" I complained to Carlisle. "Vincent has been attacking and murdering innocent people for over six decades as far as I can remember!"

The two cops pushed Carlisle aside and went over to Bella.

"Excuse me, miss. We need you to testify in this case. Is the reason for your change Vincent?" One cop questioned Bella, and the other just stood there.

Bella being as shy and fearful as she was merely nodded her head in response.

"Look," I started on the both of them, grabbing Bella. "She has a scar. I pulled him off before he killed her, but I couldn't stop the venom from spreading."

I indicated to the gash that Bella had, and would remain to have on her lower neck. That is where she was bitten.

The cops examined it as if to make sure it was actually from Vampire fangs.

"Well," said one cop, "We were given a kit for extracting the venom from inside of you. We were given instructions to have Dr. Cullen perform the task, and we're supposed to bring the results down to a lab downtown."

This entire time I had been standing by Bella as a guard, holding her hand. Things seemed very strange now. Carlisle made his way toward us with the kit. In an attempt to protect Bella, I growled at him. He reassured me that Bella would be fine, and prepared the test. It involved one of Bella's least favorite things in the world – a needle. Sensing her discomfort, Carlisle began speaking to Bella.

"This shouldn't hurt a bit; it's just a tiny needle. We need this to get Vincent taken away, Bella."

Carlisle gently lifted up her left arm. Subconsciously his eyes flickered toward her new engagement ring. Carlisle knew I would be listening to his thoughts.

_Nice, Ed. I'm really happy for you._ I heard him think.

I smiled at him to indicate that I had gotten the message. Bella flinched slightly as the needle went in, but it was pulled out almost a second later. A tiny vile was filled with the clear venom, and Carlisle sealed it in a bag. He handed it to the cops, who then informed us to be at the town municipal building tomorrow at ten in the morning.

Carlisle breathed a sigh of relief after he closed the door behind the cops. He began talking to us.

"Bella, I am so sorry we have to put you through all this trouble to catch such a wanted man. And I hope you're ok with everything that's happened – and AGAIN I am so sorry. But… on a lighter note to the both of you – Congratulations! Bella, I knew this day would come. Welcome to the Cullen family. Wait until everyone heard about this!"

"When will we be seeing them now exactly?" I asked.

"Well, I think it should be safe to leave now," Carlisle told us.

With relief, I grabbed Bella's hand and we followed Carlisle out of the door. As we made our way to the car, I gave Bella a kiss and promised her that everything would be fine. To my surprise, she looked up at me in sheer terror. Poor Bella didn't have to say anything – I knew what had happened. Obviously she had seen something; someone's fear. I really hoped at that point it wasn't Carlisle's. That could be very frightening to Bella. I feared he would think about her possible death. It was times like these that I wished I could hear what Bella was thinking. I couldn't talk to her about this in front of Carlisle. But yet the important thing right now was comforting Bella. She had been shaking violently, so I held her tight until we arrived at my (and soon-to-be-Bella's) home.

"Omigod, congratulations!" Alice screamed as Bella showed her the ring.

"Welcome to the family!" Esme cried. Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper all said their congratulations to Bella and me. It seemed like the engagement was nothing shocking to them –yet her new appearance was.

"Bella you're so beautiful! Let's go fix that gorgeous hair!" Alice was excited.

Bella seemed much more relaxed in a familiar environment. We both followed Alice upstairs, and into her room. I sat down on Alice's bed as she sat on the floor, trying to style Bella's new flawless hair. The two girls went on in a conversation about all the events that had recently happened. As they talked, I rested my entire body down on the bed and concentrated on my own thoughts.

One thing was nagging me.

I really wanted to know what Bella had seen before when we were walking to Carlisle's car. She was so frightened and I could still pick up a look of worry in her beautiful eyes. I figured I would get this information when we were alone tonight. I planned on taking Bella on her first hunting trip to celebrate the engagement.

It seemed like reality hit me again. It was no longer just me and Bella. I wasn't sure if I liked reality anymore.


End file.
